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    Can I run The Witcher 2?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by sethab, Dec 21, 2011.

  1. sethab

    sethab Notebook Enthusiast

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    The Witcher 2 is currently on deep discount everywhere. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a demo, and I'm guessing Steam / Amazon downloads / etc don't offer refunds, so if my computer can't handle it I'm throwing my money away.

    Anyway, I have a Sony Vaio SE laptop that's a couple months old. My understanding when I bought it was that it can handle some games adequately, but it's hardly a beast of a gaming rig. The can I run it website says I pass, but I hear that can be pretty unreliable. The key specs:

    Intel Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz
    AMD Radeon HD 6630M
    8 GB RAM
    1920 x 1080 native resolution

    I don't need to run this on max settings or anything, but will it be playable?
     
    sethab, Dec 21, 2011
    #1
  2. Ritzy Cat

    Ritzy Cat Notebook Evangelist

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    Ritzy Cat, Dec 21, 2011
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  3. Rambisco

    Rambisco Notebook Consultant

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    Maybe 800x600 on low, you probably wouldn't enjoy it all too much. The Witcher is badly optimized, and its funny you can play crysis at 720p with no lag, and some other game isn't even playable. Sorry, but, this is one of the few games the 6630M just can't handle.
     
    Rambisco, Dec 21, 2011
    #3
  4. lidowxx

    lidowxx Notebook Deity

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    It will run, probably on 720p with most settings on low, with a bit overclocking, it should be able to run the game at playable fps. I say give it a shot. Just be sure to update to the latest patch if you bought the game, it drastically improves performance.
     
    lidowxx, Dec 21, 2011
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  5. tenritsu

    tenritsu Newbie

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    tenritsu, Dec 21, 2011
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  6. FredFlint_

    FredFlint_ Notebook Consultant

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    I ran it on my dell studio which has a 4650 gpu and it was ok. Most of the settings on low.
     
    FredFlint_, Dec 21, 2011
    #6
  7. Steven

    Steven God Amongst Mere Mortals

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    It'd be playable FPS but nothing to rave about.
     
    Steven, Dec 21, 2011
    #7
  8. Rambisco

    Rambisco Notebook Consultant

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    Although, I must wonder on what version Notebookcheck took those results from? If it was the first, you'd probably see drastically higher than what is expected.
     
    Rambisco, Dec 21, 2011
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  9. sethab

    sethab Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the replies. It does seem pretty playable to me in that video tenritsu posted. I have a lot of other games to play right now though, so maybe I should wait for now and hold out for a console version.
     
    sethab, Dec 22, 2011
    #9
  10. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    yeah, you will be alright with low settings, and the game looks amazing even at low-medium :)
     
    maxheap, Dec 22, 2011
    #10
  11. InspiredE1705

    InspiredE1705 Notebook Evangelist

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    I ran it on my Gaming Desktop at 2560 x 1600 and 1920 x 1200 and both resolutions with High settings gave 15 to 33 fps.
     
    InspiredE1705, Dec 22, 2011
    #11
  12. andros_forever

    andros_forever Notebook Deity

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    This game is a real rig stresser but I managed to run the game @ 1280x720 @ mostly high settings with most extra options turned on, 16x af and AA enabled. Game runs very smooth @ 31-35 fps average.

    A nice trick to try for you on games running on slightly lower fps is to increase the Maximum pre rendered frames to 6 or 8 on games like The Witcher 2. It doesn't increase fps per-se but you will notice that the game will feel a LOT smoother than with 0 pre-rendered frames.

    Only drawback of doing this is that the response time for you actions will be slightly longer.

    As a rule of thumb I tend to keep my online competitive games and my Desktop at 0 pre-rendered frames (for extremely fast response time), while increasing that number on single player games.

    Hope that helps you out, and anyone else reading this ;)
     
    andros_forever, Dec 22, 2011
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  13. FahrenheitGTI

    FahrenheitGTI Notebook Consultant

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    I wouldn't bother downloading it, it plays like garbage on Low on my G73SW.
     
    FahrenheitGTI, Dec 22, 2011
    #13
  14. InspiredE1705

    InspiredE1705 Notebook Evangelist

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    If Witcher 2 is so graphic intensive then it should be played on a gaming desktop because desktops have way more powerful cpus and video cards than laptops. Just be satisfied with Orcs Must Die or NeverWinter Nights 2 on a laptop.

    I quit gaming on laptops back in Dec 2008 because laptop video cards couldn't keep up with desktop video cards.
     
    InspiredE1705, Dec 22, 2011
    #14
  15. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    If you want to max detail, resolution, with high FPS, desktop is definitely the way to go. But I've been quite impressed with even what my "lowly" HD 6750m GPU can manage. There are a handful of games that are just system resource hogs and will tax a laptop, but most games are more than playable if you reduce graphics detail, resolution, and deal with slightly lower fps (i.e. 30-50).
     
    HTWingNut, Dec 24, 2011
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  16. trvelbug

    trvelbug Notebook Prophet

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    TW2 at medium is equal to skyrim at high/ultra. tw2 at ultra is probably how skyrim will looka year or so from now with all the graphics mods.

    its a beautiful game even on low/medium
     
    trvelbug, Dec 24, 2011
    #16